The Time it Takes to Heal
by fullmetal96100
Summary: Rin Winter lives in a world of slavery. Vampires have been inslaves for over a hundred years now. Rin, considered royalty has always hated it and never practiced it. Instead she treats any wounded vampire that comes to her. Damon Salvatore, very sick and injured, changes all of that she impulsively buys him to save him. Can she save him? Slow burn DamonXOC


Chapter 1

I was irritated again, mostly because I was tired from staying up all of last night. It was nothing new though. In the world that I live, humans and werewolves rain supreme. Vampires, however, have been our slaves as of some 100 years ago, most people owning dozens at a time. My dysfunctional family is considered royalty, as we are natural-born werewolves. It's the Winter family blood line that is considered it royalty. Except my father would argue that I'm not. I hate slavery and every concept of it.

I spent the night in the medical clinic attached to my house, treating the wounds of a very injured vampire from my father's bunch. The boy was very young, no older then twelve; his back was in bloodied strips. I couldn't get the pain numbing cream on him fast enough. The forest still echoed his screams. He was lucky though my father only used a simple whip on him, the flogger would have bits of wood and beads of vervain in him. That takes a long time to clean out.

My friend Alaric Saltzman shares my same beliefs, only he will buy slaves to take them off the market. Being a werewolf, I can smell the sickness coming off them, which is why I go with him even though I refuse to buy one. He isn't a bad person; he only buys the ones that are very sick and injured. He believes it's his duty to bring them to his house to try and give them an easy, normal life.

The exam room smelt strongly of the disinfectant I was using to clean every surface. It was a medium sized room with snow white walls and a counter and sink next to the left wall. Above that was the largest medicine that money could buy. It was filled with anything I could ever need, from large bandages to the salt compound that took the absorbed the vervain beads from the victim's body. In the middle of the room sat a large white chair which was originally used to torture misbehaving vampires with. I watched my father use it once; the vampire sat with his back to us where my father would use the flogger on him. I rebuilt mine so the vampire would sit on it the same, but it would rise and stretch out so I could treat any wounds easier.

Finally done, I left the room, locking it with a passcode behind me. I left the med hall into the front room, and then up the stairs to my bedroom. My room was the biggest in the house, and my bed sat in the middle of it. There was a walk-in closet, and a grand white desk to the left of me. Clothes littered the floor; I hadn't had much time to do laundry yet. At the foot of my bed lay a large white wolf sleeping on his own bed. He was one of my father's experiments, being almost four and a half feet tall. I named him Wulff.

" Ah, it's been a long night Wulff." I say as I flop on my bed. He coughs at me, but doesn't move from his spot. The screaming probably kept him up too. Suddenly I was very tired and emotional, and I couldn't help but wonder if I was doing enough here. Was I? Of course I was, but sometimes I felt like I wasn't.  
Ding Ding Ding! My phone's alarm was ringing, which meant it was time for the auction. I loudly moaned and considered asking Alaric if we could go to the next one. I could already hear his answer, 'it's only for a few hours and all you must do is sit and sniff. You're going Winter.' Cursing loudly, I meandered my way into the back of the closet where my fancy auction outfit was. It was a shiny black pair of dress pants with a revealing white silk tank top. I wore a black blazer over it, which was very tight in the shoulders. It went well with my long white hair.

It was time to go, and with a shout to Wulff that I was leaving, I locked up the house and got into my small blue car, rolling the tinted windows up. The auction house is only ten minutes away, and I make the drive in record time. The parking lot is full with shiny new luxury cars and people with expensive clothing filing into the gigantic house. Driving to the back of the parking lot I see Alaric leaning on his black sedan checking his watch. I pull up beside him, and he opens my door for me.

"Thought you weren't going to make it." He says as I pull myself out the door and look the car.

"Sorry, I was up all night with another one of my father's victims." I said with a sneer in my voice. "Don't worry, I won't leave to all the big mean vampires though." I teased.

"What would I do without my lovely wolf to guide a human like me?" He said, teasing me back.  
I only laughed as we entered the building and waited in line to register at the desk. The room was stuffy and smelt strongly of different perfumes. Men and women alike were all gossiping about their lives and placing bets on the items for sale. 'They're people not items' I thought bitterly.

"What are these people thinking about?" Alaric asked me.  
I have a unique gift of being a very powerful psychic. Reading minds, healing simple wounds and being telepathic was what I was known for in my small group of friends. I wasn't born with this ability though. My father experimented on me when I was only five years old. Focusing on one person after the other, I read their minds. Almost everyone was thinking about the auction and what they were going to do with their new items. One woman was hoping for a beautiful man she could turn into her personal fuck toy. I felt like I was going to throw up, so I tuned them all out.

"The same demented thoughts as usual. Sex toys, Experiments and labor." I said with absolute disgust in my voice. It didn't matter though; these people will never change their minds.

"Never changes." He said to himself. I gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

At last it was our turn, and I could read the name tag on the woman registering us. Tracy looked at Alaric as he spoke.

"Alaric Saltzman and Rin Winter, looking to buy please." He said with a professional voice. Did he practice this?

"Right here are your bidding paddles and your seat numbers. Enjoy todays merchandise." She said with a kindness in her voice that made me want to turn and rip her throat out.

Alaric thanked her and we were off into the showroom. The room was huge and

set up like a theater. The main stage sat at the very front with the faded red seats before it. Our seats were at the very back, which I was happy about. Slowly people filed in, meeting friends and chatting about their days and the weather. It really didn't matter to them that they were here to buy a person.

I watched a fat man trying to force his way in when I opened my mouth and took a deep breath. Faintly I could smell the warm sent of sickness.  
I think there's someone here that fits your standards. I thought to him.

One can hope, right? He looked worried.

The auctioneer walked up to the stage and took his place at the podium on the left of the stage.

"Ladies and gentleman, welcome!" He shouts, shutting the crowd up.  
Two guards bring in the first vampire to the middle of the stage and force her on her knees. She has short red hair and a white tank top and black shorts on. She kept her head bowed as the man spoke. I saw the thick leather collar around her neck.

"Our first is a lovely female with no bad marks in her file. She has had only one master and is in prime condition. The bidding will start at seven hundred!" He shouted and the dozens of voices started shouting. The girl wasn't ill or injured, so I shook my head and Alaric sighed, angered. I was sure he would buy all of them here if he could. The price evened out and she went for twelve hundred to a man in the front row wearing a suit. Slowly, one by one the vampires were sold off to the highest bidder, none of them sick or injured.

Half way though the auction the guards dragged out a tall woman with blonde hair. They forced her to her knees like everyone else, only this time I could smell blood and the stench of sickness I had smelt when I first sat down.  
Her, Alaric. I thought and he leaned forward.

"This young beauty has had only two other masters and no bad marks in her file. Shall we start at five hundred?" He says like it's a joke.

Alaric makes no move to bid until it gets higher and only two people are left bidding. The price is moving slowly and has only reached nine hundred when he raises his paddle and shouts.

"Eleven hundred!"

The other two men are silent for a second, then slowly put down their paddles to back out of this one.

"No other bidders? Then sold to the gentleman in the back!" He shouts and claps his hands. I turn my attention to the girl as she's dragged off the stage. Oh, god no! Not another man! She thinks; I can smell the saltiness of her tears.

The auction continues and I ignore the obnoxious man speaking. I sighed to myself and catch the stench again. There's another one? I thought it was just the girl. Someone else was still sick back there. As the auction gets down to the last five people, the smell suddenly magnifies and then the guards bring out a male vampire. He is handsome with chiseled features in his face and a muscular body. He was trying to keep weight off his left leg so he was kneeling weird. A guard brings a heavy blow down on his back and I can see him lock his jaw together to keep from screaming. He was wounded terribly. I coughed again, the stench burning my throat.

This was the first time I had even seen someone this sick. He was so weak, but determined not to seem so. My guard was down. I heard the lady from the lobby get excited and think 'Ah that's the one!' I gave Alaric a pleading look. 'Save him!' I shouted at Alaric with my mind. But I knew there was no hope for him to treat someone so badly injured. He needed a specialist. Without a second thought, I decided that person would be me.

"Now we have a handsome man for you ladies. He has had only two masters but he has a few marks of disobediences on him. Nothing a good whipping won't cure!" He said, and the crowd laughs. Did the vampire just smirk? I look at him, but he's staring at the ground again.

"Let's start at twelve hundred for him!" He says and suddenly the crowd starts to shout and paddles wave in the air. The price goes up and up and finally it's the nasty lady and another blonde lady bidding on him.

"Three thousand!" I shout, earning a glare from the nasty lady. She doesn't bid again.

'Damn bitch, let her have him. There's lots of others to choose from!' She thinks and I grin to myself. The blonde lady drops out as well and the auctioneer shouts: "Sold!" The guards force him to his feet and he stumbles, earning another blow to the back. I focus to his mind, and hear him say 'She's young this time. Wonder how long until I die? Or maybe she will sell me before. I just want to kill these guards. His mind goes blank as he is dragged away.

He's dying. He's really dying. Can I even save him? I had to try now, no matter what. If anything, his last days would be in comfort. I wouldn't let him suffer in a pain that I know I can heal. After the last of the vampires are sold off and the auction ends, I rush out of the show room.

"Winter, hold on!" Alaric shouts grabbing my hand.

Oh, right, I needed to pay for him. "Uh, now what do we do?" I ask him fiddling with my hands. I never stuck around; Alaric always does this part alone. He leads me to the reception desk again and Tracy smiles at us.

"Hello again! Congrants on the merchandise you bought!" She says, her voice annoyingly happy. "Please fill this out and hand it back to me. When would you like to have him dropped off, ma'am?" She asks me. The paperwork is just asking me for my name, address, and billing info.

"How about in two hours?" I ask. That would leave me time to get everything set up in the exam room. This was going to be another long night. I hand back the paperwork.

"Excellent. I'll let them know." She says, turning to take care of Alaric.

Going to the cars. Meet you there.' I thought and walked into the parking lot again. Standing by my car, I made a mental list of the things I needed to get out. The salt and the burn gauze were necessary. The numbing cream would be used too. I start to go over what he could be sick with, and what would be best to treat him when Alaric arrives.

"What happened in there? Why did you buy him?" He asks

"I panicked. He is the worst I've ever encountered, only a specialist can save him now, and I'm not even sure that I can." I say. This was starting to look grim.

Alaric shook his head. "You're the only one who treats vampires, I believe in your skills. I know you can do it." He says, reassuring me.

I can't decide if I believe him or not, but I'm going to try. "Thank you, I'm going to go home now. Lots to prepare for." I say and he nods. I slip back into my car and turn it on. I needed to get out of here, so I sped down the road to my house. Unlocking the front door, I check the clock. 9:10am. I had barely two hours to do this. Inside my exam room I bring everything out on the counter for quick access.

Grabbing the burn pads and stacking them up neatly on the counter, I check my big ones in the back. I had only two left, so I would need to buy more later. It would have to do for now. With everything in order, I checked the clock again, only twenty minutes had passed.

He needs a bedroom moron! Deciding I wanted him as close to me as possible, I set up the room next to mine. It was decent size with a large window. There was a full bed in the corner, a desk, and a dresser. Quickly, I dusted the room and changed the sheets. I left the comforter on the bed and another blanket folded over the foot of the bed. I open the window to let in the breeze and to air the room out. This would do for now.

Leaving the room, I start to pace in mine. Wulff watched me the entire time. Suddenly he growls and I hear the screeching of brakes.

"Oh, god Wulff, here we go." I say and someone knocks at my front door.

Like it or not, it was time to welcome in my newest patient.


End file.
